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Japanese 2 sen coin
This article is about the coin issued for circulation from 1873 to 1892. For the leper coin minted between 1912 and 1925, see Japanese 2 sen coin (leper colony money). Empire of Japan |value= ¥0.02 |years= 1873–1892 |mass= 14.3 g |diameter= 31.8 mm |composition= bronze |shape= round |alignment= coin |obverse= , value, year |reverse= Value, , }} The 2 sen coin is a coin that was issued by the Empire of Japan for circulation from 1873 ( 6) to 1884 (M17), during the reign of (Mutsuhito). Pieces were also struck during the year 1892 (M25), but were not put into circulation. The coin had a value equivalent to 0.02 yen before the enforcement of the Small Currency Disposition and Fractional Rounding in Payments Act on December 31, 1953, which called for the removal of all currency with a value lower than 1 yen to be removed from circulation. The coin is composed of a bronze alloy consisting of 98 percent copper, 1 percent tin, and 1 percent zinc, and has a mass of 14.3 grams and a diameter of 31.8 millimeters. It uses coin alignment, and like most coins, it is round in shape. A depiction of a , a in and , is displayed in the center of the obverse, surrounded by a circular beaded border. Outside this border, around the left rim of the coin, is the state title, written from right to left as "本日大" ( : Dai Nippon; : "Great Japan"). The date of minting is printed right to left along the right periphery of the coin as "年" (nen), followed by the number of years the emperor had been in reign the year the coin was produced, and ending with "治明" (Meiji). Essentially, the date "年十治明" (Meiji jū-nen), with the character "十" signifying the number "10", would indicate production during the tenth year of Emperor Meiji's reign. The coin's value is inscribed at the bottom of the coin in as "2 SEN". All three inscriptions are separated from each other by bullet points. Inscribed vertically in the middle of the coin's reverse is the value, written in Japanese characters as "二銭" (Ni sen; "two sen"). Above it, at the very top of the coin, is the — which consists solely of a stylized image of a . The Japanese text "圓一換枚十五" (Go-jū mai kan ichi en), which means that fifty of the coin had a value equal to one yen, is inscribed around the coin's upper rim, and is separated between the "換" (kan) and "枚" (mai) characters by the Imperial Seal. Two tied together with a extend along the coin's periphery from the bottom of the coin until stopping near the beginning and end of the Japanese legend at the top of the coin. A total of approximately 275,747,662 pieces were minted over eleven years of production. The scales on the dragon for coins produced between 1873 and 1876 are described as "square", while those made from 1880 to 1892 have "V"-shaped scales. Coins of the 1877 date may be either square or V-shaped. References *Numista: 2 Sen — Meiji — Japan 1873–1892 *Numismatic Guaranty Corporation website * Category:19th century coins Category:Bronze Category:Coins of Japan Category:Coins with coin alignment Category:Coins with Japanese dates Category:Coins with Japanese inscriptions Category:Dated coins Category:Japanese yen Category:Round coins